The Big Kapok Tree

(English translation by Consuelo Forray)

Here is the great Kapok tree, (Stand straight)
Branches are swaying up high, (Spread arms and move them)
Below there’s a nest rocking in the wind, (Cup hands together)
And three parrots repeating ca…po…que…ro. (Make a beak with fingers)

Rhymes and Poetry

¿Quieres que te cuente un cuento?

Do You Want Me To Tell You A Story?

Do you want me to tell you a story?
Say yes and I will tell it.
Say no and then I won’t.

Monito ve, monito hace (Little Monkey Sees, Little Monkey Does)

(By Consuelo Forray. In this rhyme, little monkey likes to imitate what you do. If you scratch your head, point your nose, turn around, peel a banana, or swing from a tree, little monkey will do the same.)

Good Morning

Good morning, good morning,
How are you? How are you?
Very well, thanks, very well thanks,
How about you? How about you?

It’s the time, it’s the time
To read, to read,
The bell is ringing,
Din-don-dan, din-don-dan.

Tipi, tipi, tín

(Traditional, adapted by Consuelo Forray. On a walk through the jungle, the children see a lion/un león and other animals. They get so scared they hear their hearts pounding! Repeat the verse, substituting animals such as a giraffe/una jirafa and a tiger/un tigre.)

“Si tú sabes ser alegre / If You’re Happy and You Know It” on Universe of Song by María del Rey.

“Tipi, tipi, tín” on Lírica infantil volumen 2 by José-Luis Orozco.

Puppet Shows

El mono y el cocodrilo

(Translated by Consuelo Forray. Based on “The Monkey and the Crocodile” from One-Person Puppet Plays by Denise Anton Wright, copyright 1990 by Teacher Ideas Press, a Division of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. Used by permission of the publisher.)

This puppet show tells the story of Crocodile, who deceives Monkey into thinking he wants to help him to get across the river to get some fruit, when what he really wants is to have Monkey’s heart for dinner.

[Crocodile and Monkey continue on their way, but then Crocodile dives down once more beneath the stage as if again diving under the water level. They remain under for what seems to be a long time, then emerge again. Monkey is definitely the worse for wear!]

MONKEY: [spitting and sputtering from being under the water]Cocodrilo ¿Qué estás haciendo? ¿Estás tratando de ahogarme?

Stories

Play the CD while showing or reading the book, De paseo por la selva by Debbie Harter. You could also use puppets to dramatize the story.

Play the CD while showing the pages of Ruben’s Jungle / La selva de Ruben by Carlos Harrison. This works especially well for individuals who are not fluent in Spanish.

Crafts

Liana Vines

Liana vines are vines that grow on tree trunks in the rain forest. Use the instructions and templates available at Enchanted Learning at www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/strings/rainforest/ to let the children make a rainforest decoration for their rooms. This craft uses construction paper, yarn, tape or staples, and crayons. Leaves, flowers, butterflies, and other shapes can be cut out ahead of time or can be cut from a die cut.